


Secrets and Endings

by arpita



Category: Baahubali (Movies)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, F/M, M/M, ah well Bhalla is not evil here, and he certainly doesn't end as evil
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-06-27
Updated: 2019-06-27
Packaged: 2020-05-20 19:12:25
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 2,742
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19383004
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/arpita/pseuds/arpita
Summary: An alternate universe where, Bhalla isn't evil, and Baahu's love for him doesn't let the evil manifest.





	1. Contemplations

**Author's Note:**

  * For [MayavanavihariniHarini](https://archiveofourown.org/users/MayavanavihariniHarini/gifts), [Inkn1ght1](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Inkn1ght1/gifts), [Ratna](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Ratna/gifts), [Medhasree](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Medhasree/gifts), [avani](https://archiveofourown.org/users/avani/gifts).



> 1\. This is a sequel to a ficlet by @MayavanavihariniHarini posted on Tumblr. And well, because brevity isn't my strength, though it certainly is the soul of wit, ~~and I'm not witty ~~, it led to this.~~~~
> 
> ~~~~2\. Comments, and all feedback are always welcome! <3~~ ~~

_I shouldn't have done that,_ Bhalla told himself later that night.

_**What if Baahu-** _

_No_ , his mind snaps at thought. 

Baahu was alive, even if it was for that idiot, Kattappa.

_But then, -_

_-What if he **really** had snapped the rope?_

He would have Baahu’s blood on his hands and his murder on his conscience. Perhaps his cunning alter-ego - _if he could call it that_ \- would somehow tamper with the scene make it look like a convincing accident. Perhaps he could maim himself - _as if he wasn’t maiming himself already with Baahu’s supposed rejection_ \- and make it even more convincing. Or-

- _Perhaps he could kill himself and join Baahu in the afterlife._

The options were diverse, but his choices were limited. So far, the only weight his conscience bore was that of his conniving mind, and the endless plots it churned out, - _with Bijjaladeva’s aid, and instigation, of course_ \- for the Maahishmati Throne. 

_While his heart bore the brunt of his incestuous infatuation._

The constant contemplation of possibilities of what could have happened today far outweighed Bhallaladeva’s mind than the possibility of the war that they would be facing shortly.

Baahubali, on the other hand, had no such worries sickening his core, and impeding his slumber. Thus, while Bhalla sacrificed his sleep for him, Amarendra Baahubali slept undisturbed, his dreams unruffled.

He decided to let his tumult take the upper hand, hoping that at least it would help shorten the duration of the night that faced him, thus hastening the morning in which the treasonous Saket would be presented before Sivagami.

_At least formulating battle strategies would give him an outlet for his frustration,_ he mused before tossing around for the umpteenth time in his bed in the warcamp.

\---

 

“The Kalakeyas are barbaric beyond imagination, My Queen.” Saket stated blandly. “They aren’t just invaders, they’re the worst idea of savages.”- he continued in the same monotone, perhaps resigning himself to his fate.

“They would ravage every woman they find like ravenous wolves,” Bhalla listened mechanically as he spoke, “They wouldn’t even spare children from their wrath.”

“These savages might scare tiny Kingdoms,”- Bijjaladeva spoke beside him, - “We have got twenty-five thousand soldiers facing such threats, what harm could they bring to us?”

“Their strength go on in hundred thousands, My Lord,” Saket spoke.

“How must we strategise?” Sivagami spoke finally, “What formation must our armies take to be efficient?”

“The Trident.” Bhalla raised his eyes at the voice. Baahu had been listening intently all this while, observing as his eyes darted at the miniatures on the table facing their mother.

“Bland, baseless theory!” Bijjaladeva boomed defiantly, “Such savages, and you suggest something that has never been put to practice?!”

The Queen Mother doesn’t say a word. Bhalla cast yet another glance at his cousin while Bijjaladeva bumbled on fruitlessly.

“I agree!” he said, almost restraining a blurt, surprising even himself, as Sivagami turned to face him. 

Heads turned to look at him, in approval, as his father stared aghast. 

Bhalla felt as if Baahu had a shadow of a smile at his approval. Even if that smile didn’t surface, an approving nod did, however make an appearance.

Kattappa's voice then interrupted to elaborate on their Trishoolavyuham, as to how they could take the Kalakeya chief down by sunset.

"Divide the armies equally between the two Princes!" Sivagami instructed.

-"And whoever kills the Kalakeya Chief shall rule Maahishmati!" His father silkily interrupted. 

"Worry not, child." Bijjaladeva assured him, "Victory shall be yours."

Bhalla, for his part, couldn't really specify what pleased him more, the fact that his Father would arrange the better arsenal for him, or that-

- _He'd be fighting alongside Baahu tomorrow._

_Tonight at least, he could sleep well._


	2. Reasoning

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The war began, and ended with results that Bhallaladeva knew would come to pass. Baahubali, the ever noble, ever benevolent, Amarendra Baahubali would lead them to victory, while keeping civilians unharmed in the process. 
> 
> Bhalla, for his part, cared only for one consequence, which was, killing the Kalakeya Chief, by hook or by crook. Whether that would get him the mantle of King, was pretty ambiguous, since he would care for naught when it came to such matters. But knowing his Mother, killing the savage would have little to no bearing in her decision of selecting the successor to the Maahishmati Throne.
> 
> However, blood warranted blood. And hence, the death of those civilians was mere collateral damage, Bhalla reckoned, even as Sivagami Devi handed the Kingship over to his cousin.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> 1\. I know this sucks, and this turned out be such a long fic that it took chapters to complete itself! :D
> 
> 2\. Comments, feedback, suggestions and lots of glitter are always welcome! <3

Bhalla gloriously eyed the concourse that hailed Baahubali as their new prospective King. Amarendra stared blankly at them, as if dazed at this new development.

"Baahubali shall be crowned King on the auspicious day of Vijayadashami! That is my word! My word is law!" Sivagami boomed ferociously enough for her husband to quail away in fright. Despite Bhalla striking the final, fatal blow on the Kalakeya Chief, Baahu's benevolence had made him King, much to Bijjala's disgust, and his own surprising indifference.

An understanding look passed between him and his cousin as Bhallaladeva stretched his arm out wide, paving Baahubali's way to the helm of the crowd, much to their sheer delight. 

"All hail Baahubali!" They fervently chanted as if he were a God.

_And what an Empyrean figure he cut,_ Bhalla thought as he followed his cousin. 

However, this time-

_Bhallaladeva was not the only one harbouring a conflict._

\---

_First, he agrees to the Trishoolavyuham without question, then he accepts Mother's verdict without batting an eyelid._

Questions ran amok in Amarendra's being as well, when they found some solitude in the quiet of his chamber. 

_This, he mused, _could not be Bhallaladeva.__

__His cousin was a man of opinion, and crafty like his Father. There was nothing he did without a latent benefit to it._ _

_And now, he was accepting decisions and consequently deriding his Father's ambition to see him adorn the Maahishmati Throne._

__Who was this person? What was this person?_ _

_For starters, Bhalla would be the only one who could satisfactorily answer him. Even if he hid himself in his dexterous words, Baahubali would know what he was, and-_

__-whether his prospective Commander-in-chief was worthy of trust._ _

__Maybe it would also quell the inexplicable tumult within him._ _

_\---_

"The Prince his here, My Lord." the manservant said. 

"Bring him in," Baahu told him, "And ensure that there's no one close by." 

The servant bowed and did as he was told, while Bhalla entered. 

"What warrants this summon, _Your Highness?_ " His lips curled upward in a sinister, even sarcastic smile. 

_Now this,_ Baahu affirmed, _was classic Bhalla, sinister, and sarcastic, with snark written all over his gait._

_"Don't you have a sense of propriety?!" Amarendra chided him._

And well, Bhalla never thought much of propriety. His bare chest, and unusually low-slung dhoti were enough evidence. The only saving grace of the entire situation was that no courtesan had probably graced his bed, given the fact that the manservant wasn't trembling with the possibility of losing his life, and- 

__That Bhalla himself hadn't walked in naked in his chamber._ _

"I was asleep, Your Highness." Baahu felt him suppress a slight hack of a laughter. 

-"Or does Amarendra Baahubali expect his Commander-in-Chief to be at his beck and call at all times?" 

"You could at least have bothered to use an angavastram." His cousin somehow retained his calm. 

"And what is all this formality?" He questioned further as if to abate his beating heart which seemed to gush at Bhalla's unusually alluring sight. 

This time, Bhallaladeva didn't bother suppressing his laughter. 

"You really do amuse me, Baahu,"- he began amidst uncontrollable peals of laughter, "First, you call me in the dead of the night. Then, you school me on propriety, and then, the mere mention of your honorific irritates you!" 

Baahu fumbled. Somehow, the man in front of him made sense. At this juncture, he was the one who seemed clueless. 

"I-," he stammered, straining his eyes away from Bhalla's chest, "I wanted to talk to you about the battle- 

-"Which stands over, thankfully." Bhalla abruptly broke in. "It'll take me at least a fortnight to wash off that disgusting scent of those savages. Moreover-" 

-"You should have been mindful of our people when they were used as human shields." Baahubali promptly raised his voice as his mind formulated the perfect excuse for a parley. The new Commander-in-chief needed proper schooling on the Codes of Conduct in warfare. 

"Ah! Propriety again, is it?" Bhalla's trademark, snarky smile was back in place on his intensely enamouring, dark, plush lips. Exactly why such physical details fell under his scrutiny, Baahubali didn't know. 

"If you must know, they were in my way to that barbarian." he answered. -"And no war comes without collateral damage, I'd hoped you'd know that." 

"But not of the ones we'd sworn to protect!" Amarendra raised his voice once again. 

_His cousin smirked._

"That is what _you_ believe in." he said, " _Me_ , I see someone standing in my path, I remove them without hesitation." 

"But, brother,"- Amarendra spoke with a sincere earnestness in his voice, -"The powerless depend on us. Where would they go if their protectors speak thus?"- 

-"Exactly why Mother made _you_ King, Baahu." Bhalla smiled back. 

The other man sighed. 

"Would you have killed me as well had I been in your way?" 

_You were in my way of being King, Baahu,_ the words form in his mind of their own accord. 

_You still are,_ his mind speaks. 

_And you heartlessly spurn my love,_ Bhalla's heart wrenches within his muscled chest. 

_"Not that I haven't attempted it."_ His mouth spews the words. 


	3. Revelations and Realisations

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Bhalla reveals himself in front of Baahu. The consequences aren't really what he'd expected them to be.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> 1\. Ugh, this is really long, isn't it? :D

The stillness that follows Bhallaladeva's words has a voice of its own in his cousin's gaze. 

Baahubali is anything but angry or acrimonious. Which again, isn't something unbecoming of someone as soft-spoken and calm as him. Instead he does something that stuns Bhalla out of his mind.

"Why, Brother?" Amarendra's face is dangerously close to him.

 _Kingship, what else?,_ the answer makes itself tangible in his mind.

 _Heartache, what else?,_ something burns deeply in the pit of Bhalla’s stomach as Baahubali’s breath fans his face.

“This.”

Bhalla’s lips close in on his cousin’s. Surprisingly enough, Baahu’s strong sinewy hands, softly wrap him in reciprocation. The elder cousin pulls him closer, feeling him through the folds of his angavastram, as the grip tightens on him. 

Their lips press harder, closer to each other. Even for warriors as strong as them, their nerves rake up a contumacious storm their heavenly physique found difficult to tame. 

And yet, in such ethereal passion, reason made its unwelcome appearance as Bhalla pulled away.

“Why didn’t you tell me?” Amarendra whispers lovingly.

“Because I have enough sense to fathom that you would turn me down.” Bhalla finally tells him.

Their bodies drift apart from the cuddle. 

“You know that _this_ cannot happen.” Baahu rues. 

“Of course.” Bhalla snorted. “Incest is sin. And Mother would kick both our backsides out of the palace.”

“But you know, Baahu.” his eyes are laced with softness and love, two things literally unbecoming of the mighty Bhallaladeva. “And you haven’t turned me down, either.”

“Mother might seek to get us married.” Amarendra said, “To- well-”

-“Worthy Princesses, of honourable families, yes.” Bhalla completes the sentence. “I don’t mind women, Baahu,” he continued, - “but my passion for you shall never equal my affection for anyone.”

Baahubali smiled warmly in reciprocation. 

“Go to sleep, Baahu.” his cousin patted his shoulder. “You cannot have me in your bed, but you could very well dwell in my dreams.”

A tinge of red appeared in an incandescent glow on Amarendra’s cheeks as he watched Bhalla leave.

\---


	4. Arrivals

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> As was the custom, Sivagami performed the Rakshasa-dahana ritual in the presence of the Crown Prince, as Bhalla complacently watched amongst the multitude. The crowd cheers his name, and shouts of “Baahubali, Veer Bhavah!” rent the air, much to his father’s disgust, which in turn made little difference to Bhalla. For all of Bijjaladeva’s acrimony, there was little he could do when his own son refused to be his accomplice.
> 
> A few days later, The Queen Mother sent Baahubali for a tour of the Kingdom he was to rule. Baahubali obediently follows the instruction and sets out accordingly. However, a missive arrives a few days later.

“The Crown Prince seems to have lost his heart out to the Princess of Kuntala.” the messenger spoke. 

“This is her likeness, Your Highness.” he extended a roll towards Bhalla.

_Ah, certainly!_ , Princess Devasena’s picture doesn’t surprise him. A complexion of molten gold, and fierce eyes, with lips that would be the envy of Urvashi herself, the Princess was every bit worthy of his brother. She exuded a formidable aura, quite like their mother even as she stood immobile in that picture of hers.

“Hmph!” Bijjala’s characteristic snort graced his ears. “First the Kingdom, and now this beauty!”

“Won’t you do anything about this?!” he stormed.

“When does Baahu return?” Bhalla asked the messenger.

“In a few days, My Lord.” 

“Fine then,” he rolled the picture back into the scroll, “Keep us abreast of the happenings in Kuntala.”

“Where are you going?!” Bijjala shouted as Bhalla headed away from him.

“To speak to Mother.”

\---

“Ah! Here is my son!” Sivagami happily exclaimed as Bhalla came up to her. He sees a miniature likeness of a Palace, and an army of elephants by the windows of his mother’s chamber.

Also, on the centretable is a majestic bow.

“All of these are for you, My Boy!” she points at his gifts with a sombre excitements. “This Palace, the majestic Vasant Mahal, right in the centre of the city is just for you, as are these mighty elephants.”

Bhalla reciprocates with a soft smile playing on his features. 

“This bow,”- Sivagami twangs it the string for a demonstration, “You could be twenty feet away, and still shoot a precise target, with this, and”-

-“Gifts to console your son for the loss of the Throne, Mother?” he enquired, startling his mother.

“I seek no gifts, Ma.” he said, “I’m not as lowly as you might think.” his eyes scan his Mother’s face, as she beamed happily at him. 

“Bhalla, I-”

“I’ve come here for other reasons, Mother,” he said.

“Speak, child,” Sivagami softly caresses his hair, “What is it that I might do for you?”

“Not for me, Mother,” her eyes crinkle, “But for Baahu when he returns. As of now, you might ask the Shastri to cease his efforts for a bride for him.”

“But-” Sivagami attempts to further the conversation.

“Nothing doing, Mother,” Bhalla takes her hands in his, “Just wait till he returns.”

\---


	5. Conclusions

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Time passes, and things take a favourable turn of their own.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> 1\. This is a completely canon-divergent Bhalla, where everything ends happily. I'm quite the sucker for happy endings myself, and hence, I ended up destroying a well-written ficlet! :D
> 
> 2\. As usual, comments, criticism and glitter are always welcome! :)

“Found a bride, haven’t you?” Bhallaladeva stretched his arms out wide to receive his brother, as Baahu came to meet him in his chamber

“Bhalla, I-” Amarendra rushed to him, only to be quietened by his cousin’s embrace.

“Always knew you would do well for yourself!” Bhalla seemed to laugh.

“Doesn’t this hurt you?” Amarendra asked.

“Why would it?” Bhalla laughed. “Both of us knew this would happen. And it did.”

“I love her, Bhalla.” Baahubali spoke earnestly. 

“Of course you do,” his brother said, “Why else would you agree to be trampled by a bull?!”

Amarendra blushed. Very softly he inched closer to Bhalla to press a kiss to his lips. 

“I was thinking about telling Deva-”

-“And ruin my life in the Palace?! Come on, Brother!” Bhalla laughed, “I’m not comfortable with threesomes!”

Baahu blushed even harder. 

“Raise an army of brats!” Bhalla laughed, “And I’ll have a few brats of my own as well.”

“And as for us,” this time, his eyes darken with a certain hint, “This shall always remain our dirty little secret.”

“Always.” Baahu’s lips answered with a flaming, warm kiss.

\---

 

_In natural succession, Amarendra Baahubali took the mantle of the King of Maahishmati. The ceremony of his coronation is presided over by Bhallaladeva, the new Commander-in-Chief of the Maahishmati army as Baahubali’s wife, Devasena, and their proud mother, Sivagami watch over. Sivagami heart swells with pride as she places the crown of King, and Commander to adorn her sons’ heads, and they conjointly swear to protect the land, and its people, and preserve the glory of Maahishmati while they reign._

_The Maahishmati Army conquered territories far and wide under the supervision of Bhallalaldeva, and of course, Kattappa. With the latter’s experience, the former’s strength, and their conjoined expertise coupled with Baahubali’s guidance, Maahishmati becomes the primary seat of power till the heart of the country._

_Amarendra Baahubali, in due course, has a son. Sivagami names him Mahendra. Bhalla has a son too, from a Princess of a smaller Kingdom, who he grows to love dearly. This child, is called Bhadra, as his wife wills. Baahu rules for twenty-five years fostering peace and harmony in the glorious land of Maahishmati, where Justice reigns supreme._

 

\---

“Why exactly must you fight that creature?!” Padmini asks Bhalla. 

“For sport, of course,” Bhalla affectionately answers her.

“Your mettle is wrestling is known to one and all,” she continues to protest. “And yet, even after twenty-five years, you still seek to flaunt it in such ostentatious display!”

“It is just a bull, Padma!” her husband laughs, “And I won’t kill it!”

“Ready?” Baahubali comes in, excitedly rubbing his hands. 

“When the bull is!” Bhalla nodded in approval.

“Isn’t it life-threatening?” Padmini’s voice quivered.

“Oh no! To tame one as ferocious as my brother here,” Baahu patted Bhalla’s bare shoulder, “Even ten such bulls might fail!”

“Ah! Yes!” Bhallaladeva laughed, “This woman here, can certainly attest to that, huh?” he concluded with a wink.

Amarendra rolled his eyes. 

“Propriety, Brother!” he said, before ushering Bhalla’s wife to the stands with Devasena, Bhadra, and their mother.

Both of them laughed as Bhalla finally turned to face the bull in a fight that everyone knew he would win.


End file.
